a computer-related mystery

[fox]

So, lately, like in the past few days, my external HD has taken to telling me that it could work better if it were plugged into a USB 2.0 port.  Then it disappears.  Thing is, it is plugged into a USB 2.0 port.  Anyone have ideas why my computer has decided its USB ports are not high-speed all of a sudden?  I can't even find them in the control panel to correct whatever the problem is.  (I can find USB devices, but not ports.)  I'd hoped updating Zone Alarm, which I've been prompted to do since I moved to the new place and just did this evening, would help -- but no dice.

This is kind of pissing me off.  (And that's not even counting the fact that I knocked the damn thing onto the floor tonight and spent a very anxious half-hour or so getting it back up and running.)

Comments

[mrshamill.livejournal.com]

Well, I just checked and there is a BIOS upgrade available for the T41, but it doesn't look easy and it's not IBM standard.

So, when you plugged in the drive in the past, it always read it as a 2.0 USB port? Or did this just start? A four year old ThinkPad I would expect to have legacy 1.1 USB ports, actually.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

It's always been 2.0. The iPod requires 2.0, and has always worked fine; this external has always worked fine. It's really just the past few days that it's been freaking out and suggesting I move the device to a high-speed USB 2.0 port for better performance ... and then deciding it must be okay after all.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

The warning balloon also gives me a list of available ports, and suggests a hub with six ports attached. But I don't have a hub. I don't know where it's coming up with these ideas.

[mrshamill.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it sounds like a firmware short. I don't think it's actually going to harm anything, and you could try to upgrade the BIOS which would probably work, but it'd be a hassle. If you want, I could look into it for you and we could try to do it, but it'd have to be next month.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

I'm not in a rush, so let's get together some time and if it's still bugging me we can try to fix it then? (Define "hassle".)

[mrshamill.livejournal.com]

Hassle as in it depends on whether I can actually get the right upgrade or not. Sometimes you have to pay for 'em and they're not genuine... it's a long story.

Nansi and Annie have made noises about coming up in September, maybe for Rosie's birfday?